1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the field of electrical connectors and more specifically to the area of interconnecting a plurality of printed wiring boards.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various engineering applications require the interconnection of printed wiring or printed circuit boards. In some instances, it is necessary that the boards be oriented perpendicular with respect to each other.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,135, a printed circuit board is shown mounted in a socket and retained therein by a holding frame. The printed circuit board has a plurality of circuit elements printed thereon and a plurality of contact "tails". The contact tails connect to the printed circuit elements and extend to the bottom of the board in parallel arrangement so as to make contact with corresponding terminals within the socket element. Flexible wiring between sockets would provide interconnection between printed wiring boards held in the sockets.
In a Nov. 24, 1983, article from Machine Design, Vol. 55, No. 27, entitled, "Solving Problems with Elastomeric Connectors" by Ben Carlisle, layered elastomeric connectors are described. Elastomeric connectors are comprised of stacked alternate sheets of conducting and nonconductive elastomeric material and are usually placed between the terminals formed on the surface of one printed circuit board and those on the surface of another. The elastomeric connector is described as providing interconnection of the oppositely disposed terminals. That article also describes a perpendicular connection between a mother board and a daughter board. In that configuration the surface terminals of one board and the surface terminals of the other board are interconnected at a perpendicular joint by the elastomeric connector being compressed into the joint.